Club Sports News

Harriman made smooth shift from hockey to lacrosse goalie

Brayden Harriman, a rising senior goalie from Laconia, N.H., enjoyed a sensational postseason for Liberty University's men's lacrosse team, especially in the Flames' first-ever appearance in the MCLA Division I National Championships, May 8-9 in Salt Lake City.

He helped the Flames move up to No. 7 in the final MCLA DI Coaches Poll by upsetting Concordia (Calif.) University, 11-7, in the first round before falling to top-seeded 2016 national champion Chapman, 11-10 in overtime, finishing the season with a team-best 61.2 save percentage and a 4.50 goals-against average in 10 games.

Those stats and accomplishments are even more impressive considering Harriman didn't start playing lacrosse until his sophomore season in high school and walked on to make the Flames' team in the fall of his freshman year at Liberty.

"While I was growing up, hockey was my go-to sport and that's where I focused all of my attention," Harriman said. "My freshman year of high school, a lot of the guys I played hockey with begged me to play lacrosse goalie because they thought that would transition well from a hockey goalie to a lacrosse goalie. Sophomore year, they ended up convincing me and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I fell in love with the sport immediately."

The mathematics major has thrived at Liberty academically, athletically, and spiritually, exemplifying the grateful attitude Flames Head Coach Kyle McQuillan has tried to instill in his players.

"Playing lacrosse at Liberty is a great privilege," Harriman said. "It's a really unique place to be able to compete at a high level while being able to be playing with a lot of like-minded guys that are centered around God."